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Sleeping Cats

Rufus and Lacey, hanging out together!
Mindy Norton
Rufus and Lacey, hanging out together!

Finding the perfect bed for your cat can sometimes be a challenge.  Often a cat will choose it's own place to sleep, and that may change from one day to the next, or even one hour to the next.  Still, providing your feline friend with a comfortable bed of its own may provide a feeling of security for your furry buddy.

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On a recent visit to a pet supply store, I noticed how many different kinds of dog beds there are. No matter what your dog’s size or your home decor, you can find a bed that will be just about perfect for your dog.

I also noticed some cat beds. Now I know cats like to sleep a lot - you know, catnaps. But most of the real cat beds I ever bought held no interest for my cats. In fact, I think the only animals who ever actually slept in it were dogs. So where does a cat sleep?

It’s like the old joke that asks, “where does a gorilla sleep?”, and the answer is, “anywhere it wants to.” My cat sleeps on my bed during the day, and sometimes at night, too. He also sleeps on a chair, the couch, my lap, the dirty clothes while I’m sorting laundry, under the tree at Christmastime with all the wrapped gifts, and often in the middle of the book or newspaper I’m trying to read. He’ll even sleep on the floor if he can catch the sun coming through a window. That doesn’t mean that you can’t get a bed your cat will really like.

A lot of cats like high places - they like to perch some place where they can feel safe and survey what’s going on around them. A good bed for your cat might be one of those window perches, a fabric or carpet shelf that attaches to a window sill and braces against the wall or floor below.

Another good choice might be a perch on top of a cat tree, one of those carpeted structures with lots of hiding places and perching decks, so your cat can snooze and look down on lesser creatures, such as humans and dogs.

And I’ve even heard of cats that like to sleep in the beds you find in pet supply stores. You will just have to experiment until you figure out what kind of bed your cat prefers.

For an animal that spends as much as two-thirds of its life sleeping, a comfortable and secure place to sleep is important.

Now if I could just get this cat off the keyboard so I could finish writing this spot! I’m Mindy Norton, wishing you sweet dreams when you’re speaking of pets.

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Mindy Norton has been “Speaking of Pets” on Alabama Public Radio since 1995.
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